The Las Vegas Raiders will have a decision to make soon on tight end Michael Mayer, who will be a free agent after this 2026 season. Moreover, Mayer will always be TE2, given that the Silver and Black have Brock Bowers as TE1.
As a result, teams could be willing to call the Raiders to see what it takes to land Mayer. Last season, Mayer played 279 pass snaps, leading to a 64.6 overall PFF grade.
Moreover, the 25-year-old hauled in 35 receptions on 47 targets for 328 receiving yards and a touchdown. Mayer also averaged 9.4 yards per reception and generated 200 yards after the catch.
In an Aug. 10 article, NFL insider Jason La Canfora revealed remarks from an anonymous rival general manager who said they were looking to trade for Mayer.
“We asked about him,” one rival general manager said of inquiring about Mayer at last year’s deadline. “They weren’t open to it… I think [Raiders minority owner Tom Brady] probably knew they were drafting a quarterback high in 2026 and wanted to have 12 personnel [two tight ends, one running back, one receiver] already established.”
Kirk Cousins Could Take Advantage of Michael Mayer
La Canfora also notes that the Raiders could benefit from having two reliable tight end targets for veteran QB Kirk Cousins, who leans on the pass catchers in the middle of the field.
“Brock Bowers remains one of the league’s elite size-speed matchup nightmares, and the Raiders actively rebuffed trade deadline offers for move-tight end Michael Mayer last year to keep the duo intact (for context, Cousins boasts a career completion rate over 73% when throwing to tight ends, alongside a stellar 105.3 passer rating),” La Canfora wrote in his article.
It will be interesting to see if Mayer can take advantage of having a QB like Cousins who will know how to get him the football. Additionally, he has an offensive-minded head coach in Klint Kubiak, who knows how to take advantage of a talented tight end.
Michael Mayer Expected to Have Big Season for the Raiders
Whether or not his future is with the Raiders remains to be seen, but this is a big season for Mayer to secure a big payday next offseason.
Furthermore, on the June 8 edition of the “Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast,” Hondo Carpenter of Raiders on SI recently noted that, for him, Mayer has the most at stake out of any player on the team entering this 2026 season.
“[Mayer is] coming into Year 4 now, and this is a monster year for him because he had a first-round grade,” Carpenter said. “This is a guy that obviously they expected, when he was drafted, he would have done significantly more than what he has done. And you can’t control injuries. I understand that.
“But this is a monster year for him because expectations on him are extremely high, and he’s never going to play in a better offense tailored for a tight end than what Klint Kubiak is going to run. So this is a monster year for Michael Mayer, not only for him but for his NFL career.”
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